Complications
by apple stroodle
Summary: A LilyJames story about their last years at Hogwarts, featuring evil and cunning plans and a Sirius who very rarely wears anything. LJ and hinted RLSB


This is the first chapter of my new fic… I don't own any of it other than the plot… but then the whole Lily/James story has been reworked so many times it probably isn't original anymore. Ah well…I hope you enjoy.

**Complications**

The Gryffindor common room was a buzz with noise and people, a fire burnt brightly in the grate, owls were rustling overhead and there was not a single sofa or armchair left unoccupied. James sat slumped dejectedly by the window, beyond which a veritable blizzard was raging, surrounded by his three best friends. Sirius was sprawled in his customary fashion over an entire sofa and most of Remus talking rapidly with his signature wild arm gestures. Remus had his legs tucked up under him to keep his toes warm. He sat motionless, apart from an occasional duck to save his nose from one of Sirius' flailing limbs. Peter sat beside James quiet and sympathetic, if not a little distracted by the presence of the snow behind him.

"Y'know what I think?" Sirius was saying.

"Isn't that what you've been telling us for the past hour?" Remus sighed, ducking to avoid the hand that swept at his face.

"No nononono." Sirius sighed theatrically "_This is a Different Thing_… You could write her a song Prongsy! That worked for me and …ummm…Clarissa didn't it?"

James raised him self from the depths of his depression. "No Pads, it didn't. She hit you, remember?"

"Hate is close to love." Sirius objected, unwilling to let his theory slide.

"It's at the other end of the spectrum. So is Lily."

"That's quite poetical." Remus grinned brightly. "Why not just forget about the girl and be a romantic poet like Shelley or Keats?"

"Yeah." Sirius enthused "and then every girl would want to fuck you and you could die at an early age of syphilis! Moony can I have a bit of your sandwich?"

"No. And that wasn't quite what I meant."

James however looked slightly cheered. "Does she strike you as a poetry sort of girl?"

They all turned to look over to where Lily sat by the fire talking animatedly with Kingsley Shacklebolt about whether Summoning charms should be allowed outside school if properly controlled, classed as a normal household charm. The firelight was bouncing quite spectacularly off Kinsley's bald head and Lily's hair. James face developed that faraway vacant smile he always got when he saw her looking especially pretty.

"Wow," Sirius mused, "look at his head… d'y'reckon he polishes it or something?'

"Kingsley-fancier." Peter giggled.

"No," Sirius said defensively. "Just look, it cant be like that naturally!' He waved his hand in the general direction of the rest of the room, catching Remus a glancing blow to the ear, 'No ones head is that shiny naturally!'

"Return to the matter in hand!" Remus squeaked, clutching the side of his head and turning slightly pink.

"Your ear?" Sirius grinned.

"Lily, you fool.'

"She likes the Beetles. I heard her telling Alice." Peter offered.

"Why are you wincing Moony?" Sirius looked amused.

"Nothing really. I could just _hear_ him spelling it wrong."

"You freak Moony."

"Yes Pads."

James stood up and stretched. "I'm going to bed."

"Bed?" Sirius was incredulous. "It's 8:30! Only the worst sort of moron goes to bed at 8:30!"

"Haven't you been listening to him Pads? He's in love, he's quite entitled to go to bed early, so he can lie awake and dream of the object of his affections."

"And wank himself into an early grave." Sirius muttered.

James shrugged his jutting shoulders. "If it's the path Fate's decided for me…"

"Who are you to stand in its way?" Sirius finished for him. "Just don't hang yourself on your bed sheet in your misery ok?"

James nodded dejectedly and slouched off up the stairs to the boys' dormitories.

"Actually I might go with him. As a chaperone thing." Sirius mumbled. He hated seeing James like this.

"I thought, only the worst sort of moron…" Remus started.

"I'm a moron, you're a freak, we make an excellent couple. Goodnight." Sirius gabbled, jumping up and hurtling after James.

Peter turned to gaze out of the window, his life now empty of anything to distract him from the snow. Remus sighed. He had never got on well with Peter. They were both too shy; when they were alone together it was easier not to strain to make small talk, they both preferred simply to accept that their personalities clashed and to leave it at that. So Remus went in search of some intelligent conversation. He made a beeline for Lily and Kingsley's fireside haven and flopped down on one of the pouffes beside Kinglsey's chair, remarking smoothly "Sorry Lily, but do you really think that's wise? I mean what about all the muggle-borns? I thought you lived in a muggle community, what happens if you were seen?"

Lily was quite used to Remus tripping in and out of her conversations, he was by far her favorite of his group. He was intelligent, he had opinions, but he had the readiness to accept ideas that Kingsley whole-heartedly, and in her opinion somewhat boringly, opposed. She carefully moved her hair back behind her ear and explained, "I thought it could be regulated so that it was only used in the home. I mean, my mother has so much housework to do and I could really make it easier for her, don't you think? Obviously I wouldn't dream of doing it if there was another muggle in the house, you'd have to be really thick to even think about that."

Remus shrugged. "I guess. You should talk to James about it, his dad works in the Department for the Protection of Wizarding Secrecy, he'd probably run the idea past him for you."

Lily's face darkened suddenly. "No, Remus. Don't even go there. You know-"

"Oh, nonono, nothing like that!" Remus said, backtracking hastily. "I just meant, if it was something you're interested in, there's no harm in asking someone in the know, as it were."

"I know exactly what you meant." Lily muttered thunderously.

"He's changed Lily, really he has."

Lily snorted.

"I don't mean he's stopped…obsessing. He still does that."

Lily started tapping her fingernails impatiently on the arm of her chair.

"But…" Remus tried again, realizing that he may not have struck the right note with his first attempt. " If you could just, do me a favor Lily…please, he's been so miserable recently. Even Sirius doesn't cheer him up, you must have noticed."

"You want me to go out with him to cheer him up?" Lily was incredulous. "What, like a kind of mercy dating? What kind of sick idea is that? I don't even like him, _do you have any idea how weird it would be?_'

"You don't have to go out with him." Remus sighed. "Just... notice him, be civil, don't hit him. Something. Maybe smile."

"You're effectively whoring me out to him. You realize that."

Remus grinned. "Nah…I'm not paying you."

Lily sighed. She pressed her fingers to her temples and stared at the ceiling. She already had a headache from double Potions; really Remus had not picked an ideal time. She shut her eyes and imagined James. She felt ill. But then she thought about Remus, he had really been convinced that she was the only one who could make James better. And Remus was her friend. Of sorts anyway. _Oh sod it_, she thought. She sat up, Remus was watching her expectantly. "Alright," she said.

She was, despite her best principles, highly flattered by Remus' enthusiastic response, although her shoulders remained bruised from his hugs of gratitude for several weeks.

Remus went to bed, happy in the knowledge of a job well done.

When he awoke the next morning the smile was still present, he even started whistling as he buttoned up his shirt and swallowed down the rest of his early morning sandwich. "What's happened to you?" he turned to see Sirius looking bleary eyed and bewildered yet watching him avidly.

Remus' natural instinct was not to say anything, knowing instantly that Sirius would take offence if he knew that he had not been of any assistance to James' master plan. He decided to act innocent. "Nothing. Why?"

Sirius swung his long skinny legs over the edge of the bed, confirming what Remus had long suspected; he did indeed sleep completely naked. Apart from some socks. Remus fixed his eyes determinedly on these.

Sirius shrugged. "You're generating a huge air of smugness. I was woken simply by the loudness of your ego's call for attention. Have you been screwing Wormtail or something?"

Remus pulled a face. "I'm not going to gratify that with a reply."

"Ah, so you have been. How was it?" Again Remus pulled a face. "Not great?" Sirius suggested. "Never mind," he hopped off the bed and came to hug Remus, who remained staring at his socks; "You just have to be gentle with him until he gets the hang of it. He's shy at first, but he can be a tiger when he gets going."

"I feel ill." Remus clarified.

"Whoa, morning sickness already?"

"Give it a rest Pads, if Peter and I were the last two people on earth…"

"You'd hold a mass orgy to celebrate. All two of you…" Sirius was grinning the sort of lopsided grin that oozed lechery and sent many a girl into spasms of silent joy.

Remus jabbed him in the ribs with the bonier of his two elbows. "You know that's not what I was going to say, and anyway just being two really wouldn't be enough for an orgy would it? …On second thoughts I don't want to know, it's beside the point."

"So what's making you so happy then, if it's not mad passionate romps with rat boy?"

"Nothing."

"You really should be a spy y'know, you've got the lying aspect down to a tee."

"Sarcasm will get you nowhere. I'm not backing down. I have Principles"

"So says Peter's little slave."

"Sod off."

"Well go on then, tell me and my lips will be sealed as far as Worm's concerned." Sirius dug his own far bonier elbow into the small of Remus' back. Remus yowled in pain.

"Bribery and torture will get you nowhere." Remus folded his arms and pursed his lips, feeling all the more proud of his dedication.

Sirius wrapped his arms around his friend's shoulders. He snuggled up to his shoulder. Sirius' cold nose brushed Remus' earlobe.

"If you tell me, I'll bring you a sandwich in bed everyday for the rest of your life."

Remus thought about this. It would be a complete betrayal of all his principles…but then a sandwich is a sandwich. No, such hypocrisy was beyond him. Remus strengthened his resolve once more, albeit his protests were somewhat less enthusiastic than before. "No."

"Tell me! I'll poke you!" Sirius threw himself bodily at Remus, pinning him completely to his bed.

"NO! NO YOU FREAK! YOU BLOODTHIRSTY SAVAGE! WAS MY EAR NOT E-FUCKING-NOUGH FOR YOU! OW!"

"You scream like a girl." Sirius laughed, jabbing Remus' stomach.

"Yes, I do! I do! Stop now or I'll vomit up my sandwich! You'll have second hand sandwich on your shirt!"

"Mmmm. A nourishing snack."

"STOP! STOP!"

"Tell me or lose your sandwich!"

"_ALRIGHT! I GIVE IN!" _ Remus shrieked desperately thinking of some false alibi he could offer up.

Sirius frowned to himself, scrutinizing Remus' face, finally he grinned evilly. "Actually…I don't think I want to know… I think I'll just…poke you a bit more."

"NO! NO! ACK!" Remus slid off the bed in his haste to escape the jabbing fingers and crashed on to the floor. He sat up prodding himself to test for any breakages. "Ok," he sighed, "you have tortured me into submission."

Sirius punched the air in victory.

Remus took a deep breath and told him. "I've got Lily to start being more civil to James. I think it might be a step in the right direction."

Sirius looked slightly crestfallen. "Is that it?" He rolled off the bed and landed beside Remus on the floor. "Not really worth it mate, this is James we're talking about, he'll screw it up somehow."

Remus had to accept that this was probably true, James' reputation as a ladies man vastly exceeded the truth. "We'll just have to make sure he doesn't, that's all."

Sirius snorted. "Ah yes, with your vast experience to guide him, he cant go wrong."

"_You'll_ have to help him." Remus clarified.

At that moment the door swung open. James stood in the doorway looking slightly bemused. "Hello." His voice sounded as if it were coming from the other end of a very long tunnel. "She smiled at me."

"Who?" Sirius and Remus did their utmost to look innocent.

"Lily."

"And…?" Sirius pressed him.

"It was…weird." James looked extremely confused. "She's not meant to smile at me. Lily doesn't like me. She hates me. Why would she smile?"

He sat down on the threshold and lent his head against the wall.

"Maybe she's changed." Remus smiled comfortingly.

"Since yesterday?" Sirius grinned, Remus stepped carefully and painfully on his foot.

"Maybe she's feeling guilty for hitting you quite so hard after Transfiguration."

James shrugged "She's never felt guilty before."

"She's never loved you before." Sirius started to get to his feet. Remus stared at him in horror. Sirius winked at him. In a fit of panic, Remus grabbed his kneecaps and pulled, causing him to collapse onto his hands and knees.

James was also staring at Sirius. He looked as if he had just been hit over the head with a broomstick. "What?"

"She told me yesterday. She was quite upset," Sirius started to crawl conspiratorially towards James. "She's never felt like this before, but she didn't think she could tell you, it would compromise everything she'd said for all these years y'know…"

James face cracked into the most horrifically happy grin Remus had ever seen. "She said that? _Really?_ And she meant it?"

"Would I lie to you?" Sirius beamed at him.

"Yes." James mumbled. "No…I don't know…but I'd be more comfortable discussing it when you've put some clothes on."

There you go, sorry it's quite short, it will get better. Now leave me a lovely review and I'll upload the next chapter when it's written, although I warn you I have exams…


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